Newcastle United are hoping to sign Eibar defender Florian Lejeune. The French defender has played a pivotal role for the Spanish team as he went on to appear 34 times in the La Liga. He happened to be with Manchester City as the Sky Blues bought him in 2015. But he never made it to the starting lineup for the English outfit and they later offloaded him to Eibar.
The Magpies are looking forward to freshening up their defence. Grant Hanley might be shown the door as a number of clubs are lining up a move for him. Sheffield Wednesday made their desire known to the Toons but they are unwilling to match their demand.
Newcastle currently only have Ciaran Clark with ample Premier League experience. Both Jamaal Lascelles and Chancel Mbemba are still very young to deal with the pressure of Premier League and that’s why Benitez has been rooting for a newly experienced centre-back who could lend solidity to the backline.
Newcastle have fuelled their interest after one of their rumoured targets Ruben Semedo has preferred to join Villarreal. The Magpies are ready to exercise his release clause which is around £8.7m. The 26-year-old is expected to seal the transfer within a few days.
The rumour intensified as Eibar sporting director Fran Garagarza also mooted for a potential move of the defender. Newcastle have been clearing the stocks of unwanted players and Benitez wants to make some signing to fill up the voids.
Magpies owner Mike Ashley has promised Benitez to hand him a hefty transfer fund to land his potential transfer targets and the move is a result of that. Tottenham Hotspur have also emerged as possible suitors as Mauricio Pochettino is looking to make one more addition to his defence to beef up his squad. They have reportedly been in contact with his agent and are discussing a possible deal.
Benitez will unleash him from the start of the next season. The French defender has had his experience in the La Liga and could use that to make an impact in the English top flight.
Newcastle are yet to make a formal approach for the player but they are expected to leverage a very lucrative deal for the defender. Benitez is the mastermind to notch up transfers and his role cannot be undermined. Expectations will be high after they lifted the Championship and Benitez is hopeful for a new start to the season.
